Safety direction-signal



H. E. EVERETT.

SAFETY DIRECTION SIGNAL.

APPLICAUON FILED MAY 27. 1920.

1,374,725. Patented Apr. 12, 1.921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E an. 5mg

H. E. EVERETT.

SAFETY DIRECTION SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 27, 1920.

a w 1 u n Q v z f y In E 0 I W f w W 4 E 0 Ln r Pu 3 V E AW 1M2 u T .w n 2 MW m Wm M JW W HOWARD E. EVERETT, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

SAFETY DIRECTION-SIGNAL.

newness.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A131. 12, 1921.

Application filed. May 27, 1920. Serial No. 384,567.

T 0 all w 72,0771 itmay concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD E. Evnrurrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Safety Direction- Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to signaling means for automobiles and more particularly to that class of signal devices employed for indicating the direction in which the car is about to turn. 7

An object of the invention is to provide an improved manually operated illuminated signaling device operable from the position occupied by the driver, two of the devices being required one for each side of the car, so that each device will be required to be operated separately thereby avoiding confusion.

In devices now in use, asingle operating member is relied upon for operating lz-ciis. the right and left hand signals, said member being required to be moved in a distinctive separate manner for each side of the car thereby causing confusion which frequently results in operating the wrong signal.

Vllhen electrically operated devices are employed the wrong button is often pressed because the latter are usually 111 close proximity to each other.

By having an individual device for each side of the car with widely separated operating keys, no confusion can arise.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a device of the class described certain features of construction rendering it cheap of manufacture, simple in design and capable of withstanding severe usage.

To this end the inventionconsists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a part of an automobile showing the invention applied thereto.

the pivot of the semaphore arm on line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a View looking into the interior of the lower half of the elbow joint indicated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a view looking into the upper half of the elbow joint shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the clamp support.

Fig. 9 is a front view of part. of the arm locking mechanism to hold the latter in upright position.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the spring contacts within the arm elbow joint.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view'on line 11-11 of Fig. 6, and

Fig.12 is a wiring diagram. I

A designates an automobile body and B the instrument board thereof, the latter being located in front of the steering wheel C operated by the driver. The board- B is usually slightly tilted, as shown, so asto more squarely face the eye of the operator.

The invention comprises a tubular sup port D, bent so as to form a horizontally disposed memberl and an upwardlyextending member 2, the bend'3 thereof being of comparatively large radius so that a cable or other flexible member may be easily drawn through the interior thereof. i

The member 1 extends through the side 4 arm is formed with a circular shallow cuplike casing member 8 having a flat bottomi9', acomparatively thick surrounding Wall 10, with a flat top 11 and an upwardly extending comparatively thin segmental flange 12 of uniform height along its inner upper edge. The tubular stem extends radially outwardly from the circumferential-surface of the casing member, the top 11 bisecting the open end of the stem 5.

An opening 13 in the wall 10 leads into the interior of the stem. Supported on the floor of the casing member and suitably insulated therefromas by means of the disk 14, are the spring contacts 15 extending concentrically around the pivot pin 16, the latter extending perpendicular tothe floor of the casing member beyond the wall 10 and being formed with a shoulder 17 against which fits a nut 18 screw threaded on said pin.

Cupping over the opening of said casing member and having central bore 19 rotatably receiving the pivot pin 16 thereof and being held positioned by the nut 18 so that it may slide on the top 11 of the casing member, is the second casing member 20. The member 20 is similar outwardly in shape to the member 8; the circular wall thereof being interiorly recessed to form an annular space 21 adapted to receive the flange 12 heightwise.

It will be noted (Fig. 6) that the flange 12 extends from a position adjacent the opening 13 and is of a length slightly in excess of a quarter of the circumference, the flange forming an arcuate seat for the cable 22, the latter being suitably secured thereto as at 23. The space 21 constitutes an arcuate corridor to receive the cable in the process of operating the device.

The casing member 20 forms the top of the member 2 of the support D, the member 2 extending tangentially from the circumferential surface of its member 20, the latter being offset so as to extend over half the open end of the tubular member 2, the interior of the latter being in open communication with the interior of the casing member.

By ofisetting the member 22 relative to the pin 16 the cable 22 is directed into the tubular support so that a pull on the cable will rotate the casing member 8 about its pivot point. Projecting from the respective circumferential faces of the casing members 8 and 20 are the lugs 23 and 24 respectively, said lugs being so arranged as to limit the movement of the arm E from a vertical to an outwardly directed position as for instance the lug 23 resting against one of the lugs 24 (Fig. 6) when the arm is in the last named position. Surrounding the pin 16 is the coil spring 25, opposite ends thereof being removably anchored respectively in the openings 26 and 27 in the respective casing'members. Thus, the arm is under constant stress of the spring, the latter tending constantly to move the arm out of vertical position.

Supported on the floor of the casing member 20 and suitably insulated there from as by means of the disk 26, are a pair of spring contacts 28 adapted to engage with the contacts 15 when the arm E is in outwardly extending position as is best shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The lamp 8 is electrically connected with a source of'current such as the battery F,

the conductor wire 11 leading from the battery through members 1 and 2 of support D, outer contact 28, outer contact 15, lamp, inner contact 15, inner contact 28, through tubular support to battery. The support D is shown firmly mounted on the instrument board B by means of the adjustable clamp G, the latter comprising a pair of spaced, long threaded bolts 29 projected through said board and firmly held thereon by the nuts 30. Slidable on the bolts are a pair of oppositely disposed clamping members 31 each being formed with a circular seat 32 adapted to grip the member 1 of the support D between them. The members are located between pair of adjustment nuts 33 on each of the bolts so that the'support D may be firmly held at any selected dis-' tance from the board 13.

This is an important feature in that it is one of the objects of the invention to provide a device which may be attached to many makes of cars, without requiring any alterations in the device itself.

F or the purpose of raising and holding raised the arm E against the tension of the spring 25, the raising and locking mechanism I is provided. This mechanism comprises a journal plate 34 having a tubular extension 35 extending right angles thereto and projecting through and beyond the board B. it plate 36 its slidably around said tubular extension and is adapt ed to receive the bolts 37, which la .tcr ct;- tend through the board B and threadedly engage the plate 34 whereby the board may be firmly clamped between the two plates. Journaled in the plate 34 and extending through said board and a considerable dis tance beyond the under side thereof, is the shaft 38, having longitudinal key seat or groove 39, to receive the end of the set screw 40, the latter having threaded engagement with the sheave wheel. 41 whereby the latter may be firmly held positioned. A thumb screw 42 serves to grip the end of the cable 22. Thus the sheave may be moved alon. the shaft 38 in the process of assembling the parts, until. it is brought into alinement with the member 1 of the support D, as is best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. For the purpose of holding the arm E in upright position, the head 43, having a pin 44 extending irom its side adjacent the plate 34 is provided, said pin being so positioned as to enter the opening 45 in said plate when the arm E is in vertical position. The head may be moved along the shaft and held positioned thereon sub stantially in the same manner as the sheave 41. A stop pin 46 engaging the bolts 37 serves to limit the rotary movement of the head.

At its outer end the shaft 38 is formed with an enlarged portion 47 to form a shoulder 48, said enlarged portion fitting rotatably the interior of the tubular extension 35. The coil spring 25 surrounding the shaft within the tubular extension tends constantly to pull the head 43 against the plate 34 thereby locking the arm in vertical position.

By means of a suitable finger key 50 at the outer end of the shaft, the latter may be pushed endwise until the pin 44 is disengaged from the plate 34, thereby releasing the arm to be swung outwardly under stress ofthe spring25. To raise the arm, the key is turned to wind the cable on the sheave, until the pin 44 again registers with the opening 45.

As the arm oscillatesoutwardly the spring contacts 15 and 28 become engaged to close the electric circuit and thereby energize the lamp 8. By the use of two sets of spring contacts the wires in the stem 5 remain stationary relative to the arm E, thus avoiding any undue abrasion of the insulation of the wires which would be the case if the spring contacts were discarded and a continuous wire used. In Fig. 9 is shown the extreme positions assumed by the cable relative to the tube.

By the use of the adjustable clamping means G and the locking and winding mechanism I, the device may be applied to almost allmakes of cars regardless of the angle of the instrument board or the contour of the shell of the body, the location of the opening 51 in the body being selected at random and the clamping means adjusted accordingly.

Vhile the invention is shown applied to an instrument board it is to be understood that the device may be mounted to any transverse wall in the body of the car whether it is tilted at an angle or otherwise. To avoid rattling of the member 1 in the opening 51, an oblong plate 52 is provided, the latter having an opening which may be easily fitted so as to pinch the tube when the screw bolts are drawn tight.

ll claim:

1. In a signal device of the class described the combination with a swingable semaphore arm and a cable eccentrically connected therewith, of mechanism supported on the car bodyconnected with the cable for pulling in or paying out the latter and for holding it pulled in, said mechanism comprising a supporting member including a plate havin a hole in its face, a horizontally disposed longitudinally shiftable rotatable shaft disposed at right angles to said supporting member and having a shoulder engageable with the face of said plate, a handle for turning the shaft, a sheave rigid on the shaft and connected with the cable to windingly receive the latter, a spring for the shaft to yieldingly hold said shoulder against said plate, and a pin extending from said shoulder and projectable into said hole to hold the cable pulled in.

2. In a signal device of the class described, the combination with a normally upright semaphore arm pivotally mounted so as to swing outwardly from above downwardly, means for restricting the swinging movement of said arm and a cable eccentrically connected to said arm in a manner to move it from outswing to normal position when pulled, of means for pulllng or paying out said cable, said means including locking means for holding the latter against a paying out movement and also releasing means for said locking means, and a spring under stress, connected with said arm constantly tending to swing said arm from above outwardly and downwardly and thereby hold said cable in a stretched state when said ar is in normal position.

3. In a device of the class described the combination with a normally upwardly directed semaphore arm pivoted to swing outwardly and downwardly, of a spring constantly urging said arm outwardly and downwardly, a hand operable rotatable shaft rotatably supported on the car body, means for arbitrarily locking said shaft against rotation, and a connecting member extending from said arm to said shaft and being eecentrically connected at its respective ends to both, whereby to hold said arm in normal position against the stress of said spring when said shaft is locked.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' HOWARD E. EVERETT. 

